Game apparatus



Jar-l. 29, 1935. LIPSCHITZ. n AL 1,989,599

` GAME APPARATUS Filed sept. 2, 1953 2 sheets-sheet 2' oPpaN Ems TRICKS I /ATToRNEYs Jan- 295 1,935' J. I lPscHl-rz ETAL I 1,989,599

GAME APPARATUS Filed Sept. 2, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 NORTH VlNvENToRp L ps 07u23 Budd@ Schffenhzus u BY -v www4/MANOR EYs' Patented Jan. 29, 1935 UNITED@ STATES 1,989,599 y .GAME- APPARATUS J's'epiifLips/chitz and Buaae "j Newark, 15T. J.

. Application September k2, -1933,Serial No. 687,994

1 Claim. (Cl. 273-151) Bridge problems are published and the play ofexperts with particular hands are explained, but it is diiicult, particularly for the novice, to understand the play of the hands without some visual means. Furthermore, a novice can never be sure that he has played the hands exactly as the experts have played them. With our improved apparatus, it is impossible for even a novice to incorrectly play the hands, because the game pieces representing cards can be arranged only in the proper order of tricks.

An object, therefore, of the invention is to provide an apparatus which includes game pieces representing cards, and a proper iield or support therefor in which the cards can only be arranged in tricks of four cards each in the proper manner in which these cards should be played for best results.

The apparatus, therefore, is not only entertaining to all bridge players, but it is instructive to beginners and readily lends itself to entertainment of all classes in working out bridge problems with the assurance that when the effort is ended the problem is properly solved.

With these and other objects in View, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, all of which willbe more fully hereinafter described and pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is a plan View illustrating the layout of game pieces or cards in the respective hands at the beginning of the problem;

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the game board or eld with certain of the game pieces or cards in position therein;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary View in section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a broken plan view illustrating a modication;

Fig. 5`is a view in section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4,'

Fig. 6 is an enlarged View of one of the game pieces or cards shown in Fig. 4.

Our improved apparatus comprises a board or eld 1 having openings 2 therein for the accommodation of game pieces or cards 3. It is to be understood that while the openings 3 have somewhat the same contour, no two openings are of exactly Vthe' samelshape. The game piecesl yor cards 3 also have the samel general contour or shape, but no twogame pieces are of exactly the same shape. There is provided a'gamepiece' or card for each opening `and thefplayer will know by reason of the fact that the game piece or card will 'exactly riit in the proper4 opening, that his positionorplay of fthe game is correct.

Fig. 1 illustrates the layout of the cards or game pieces in accordance with the handsof the game of bridge under the usual captions, north, south, east and West, and from this layout twelve game pieces or cards have been removed and placed inthe proper openings in the board or iield 1, to illustrate or carry out the rst three tricks in the playing of the game or the working of the puzzle or problem. Specically, in the particular instance illustrated, sout would obviously be the bidder and could well bid a grand slam in spades. This simple problem is for illustration, as in most casesthe cards would be more evenlydistributed and a more difcult problem would be presented, but the simpler problem facilitates the description.

After the cards or game pieces arev properly disposed as illustrated, south being the bidder, west must necessarily lead. As shown in Fig. 2, the proper lead for west is the king of diamonds, andthe player may be sure that this isthe proper lead if he places the king of diamonds in the rst opening in the top row and it exactly i'lts therein. He then plays a card from the north hand, which is the ace of diamonds, and then the four of diamonds from the east hand, and the three of diamonds from the south hand. As north takes the trick, it is norths lead, and he leads the jack of spades, and finding a proper t within the opening, he is assured that this is the proper lead. This operation is carried out until all of the lgame pieces or cards are played and when they have been played and properly placed in their respective openings, the player is assured of having played the hand in exactly the manner in which the play was made by the expert presenting the problem.

It is, of course, to be understood that'these game pieces or cards may be of any desired shape for carrying out the idea that no two shapes are exactly alike, and they may, of course, contain any suitable indicia. We have illustrated these game pieces or cards as having pictures thereon representing spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs, l

respectively, with numerals and letters indicating the cards in a deck of cards, and also containing the letters N, E, S and W, which assists the player in laying out the cards in the hands of "nort east, south and West, respectively. These particular captions and illustrations, of course, can be varied Without departing from the invention, as it is only necessary that these cards or game pieces may indicate and represent cards of an ordinary deck of playing cards.

In the modication illustrated in Figs. 4, 5 and 6 of the drawings, the game pieces 4 fit together as distinguished from fitting in openings in a lfield or board; that is to say, these game pieces While they have somewhat similar shape are all differently shaped but interlock, and they may be supported in a suitable trayr5 and may carry any arrangement of illustration and caption'toKindi-l. cate and define cards of an ordinary deck of playing cards. With this modication, the play is carried out in exactly the same manner as that described in connection With the preferred form.

To make the game easier,.one end of the board or eld 1. may contain the caption bidders tricks and the vother end of the field may contain the caption opponents tricks, and to make it still easier, the different tricks might be numbered.

It istofbe understood that in arranging the groupings, they must be arranged so as to represent tricks, and While a preferable arrangement is that illustrated whereby thirteen rows of four spaces each are provided, other groupings might readily be made, which Would indicate thirteen tricks of four cards each.

While we have illustrated What We believe to be the preferred embodiments of the invention, it is obvious that various changes might be made in the general form and arrangement of parts without departing from the invention, and hence we do not limit ourselves to the precise details set forth but `consider ourselves at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of the claim.

What We claim is:

'Anapparatu's for solving problems in the game ofl bridge, including a field having thirteen columns of four'openings each, all of the openings being of the same general character and size but no two openings of the same identical shape,

fifty-two game pieces representing the cards in a deck of cards conforming exactly in shape to the shape of the respective openings, and adapted to it in said openings and be positioned in the columns in regular sequence in the precise manner that tricks are played in the game of bridge.v JOSEPH LIPSCHITZ.

BU'DDE SCI-DFFENHAUS. 

